10. Trucks are no longer penalty boxes

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Those of us born before the SUV boom recall a time when truck interiors were, to put it nicely, unbearable. Truck owners could have any configuration they wanted, provided what they desired was a vinyl bench seat and hand-crank windows. The lucky ones maybe even got an AM radio. Too bad the radio wasn’t audible due to the lack of sound deadening.

But once SUVs gained popularity, people demanded more creature comforts from these truck-based vehicles, and leading manufacturers started throwing in all the niceties into their pickups as well. Modern trucks come with more than just air conditioning and a quiet ride — four real doors and comfortable seating for five is now common. Higher-spec trucks are becoming luxury vehicles in their own right, packing features that include navigation systems, heated leather seats and three-zone climate control. Modern trucks are now luxury-laden family haulers — they just happen to be able to haul a boat as well.